Immigration issue likely to remain front-and-center during July 4 recess

By Jennifer G. Hickey | June 29, 2018

The fireworks started early on Capitol Hill when hundreds of open-border activists, including numerous Democratic members of Congress, descended on the Hart Senate Office Building calling for an end to “family detention” and the abolishment of the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.

The failure of the House and Senate to move any immigration legislation combined with the importance of the immigration issue to voters almost ensures it will be a hot topic when lawmakers return home for the July 4th holiday.

Before departing Washington, D.C., a bipartisan group of senators, led by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) and Thom Tillis (R-N.C.) met to discuss crafting bills to address the border and family separation.

With the involvement of anti-enforcement Sens. Dianne Feinstein (Calif.) and Dick Durbin (Ill.), the chances of any real reform measure emerging are slim.

Tillis and Cruz already have introduced a bill to “ensure the humane and fair treatment of migrant children and families by setting mandatory standards of care for family residential centers.”

On the House side, a defeated and greatly-weakened GOP leadership team hopes to push narrowly-drawn bills on E-verify, guest-worker programs, and additional resources/funding for housing illegal aliens and the various agencies which play a role in coping with the crisis at the border. In a volatile mid-term election year, anything can happen and FAIR will be keeping an eye on what develops over the coming weeks.